Descartes’ Discourse on the Method (Part IV)
Vernon McDaniel
Strayer University

Humanities 112
Dr. Jane El-Yacoubi
April 7, 2015

After reading Discourse on the Method (Part IV) it becomes clear that Descartes begins with a proof of one basic conclusion and ends with a proof of something much grander. In other words, Descartes claims that in practical life it is pretty much common for people to make erroneous judgments, conclusions or infer from erroneous perceptions. Therefore, Descartes now wants to devote himself “solely to the search for truth” (Discourse on the Method, Part IV, p.14). In order to achieve this end, Descartes claims: “I thought I needed to do the exact opposite—to reject as if it were absolutely false everything regarding which I could imagine the least doubt, so as to see whether this left me with anything entirely indubitable to believe.” So, the one basic conclusion for Descartes is “one sometimes has to act on opinions that one knows to be quite uncertain just as if they were unquestionably true” (Discourse on Method, Part IV).
He offers several proofs for this basic conclusion based on his method of doubting everything so as to reach a conclusion on that which is indubitable or cannot be absolutely doubted. So, he rejects he evidentiary value of senses He also rejects deductive arguments because logical fallacies are common and people tend to reason erroneously. He rejects the evidence of everything that is in his mind (sense perception and reasoning) because there is nothing to distinguish dream state from the state of wakefulness.
And now comes the surprise part. He suddenly realizes or finds a proof of something much grander. In his words: “But no sooner had I embarked on this project than I noticed that while I was trying in this way to think everything to be false it had to be the case that I, who was thinking this, was something” (Discourse on the Method, Part IV, p.15). He states it as “I think, therefore, I am”. Descartes is absolutely certain that he could doubt everything but not that he was thinking and more he doubted, the more he was assured of his thinking.
In conclusion, it is evident that Descartes begins with a proof of one basic conclusion and ends with a proof of something much grander. He begins doubting everything but ends up with the certainty of his mental existence. References
Rene Descartes (November, 2007) Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting one’s Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences, Part 4. Retrieved May 7, 2015 from http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdfs/descartes1637.pdf
René Descartes (1596–1650). Discourse on Method. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. Retrieved May 7, 2015 from http://www.bartleby.com/34/1/4.html